1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to an imaging device having an imaging element that can output, as image information, a photoelectrically-converted electric signal from a pixel optionally specified as a reading target among a plurality of pixels for imaging.
2. Related Art
In a medical field, an endoscope system is used at the time of observing an organ of a subject such as a patient in the related art. The endoscope system includes: an inserting unit having flexibility and an elongated shape and configured to be inserted into a body cavity of the subject; an imaging unit disposed at a distal end of the inserting unit and configured to capture an in-vivo image; and a display unit that capable of displaying the in-vivo image captured by the imaging unit. When the in-vivo image is acquired by using the endoscope system, the inserting unit is inserted into the body cavity of the subject, and then illumination light such as while light is emitted from the distal end of the inserting unit to illuminate body tissue inside the body cavity, and the imaging unit captures the in-vivo image. A user such as a doctor observes an organ of the subject based on the in-vivo image displayed on the display unit.
To perform observation by using the endoscope system, there may be a case where illumination is switched at predetermined timing among plural types of illumination. There is a known method of such an illumination method, which is a sequential lighting method in which the illumination light is sequentially switched among three color components, for example, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) (refer to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-288753). According to this technology, images are individually captured under the sequentially-switched illumination light by using a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor as an imaging element.
Further, there is a known technology of a simultaneous lighting method in which a color filter is provided on a front surface of a light receiving unit of an imaging element and imaging is performed under white illumination light.